The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 341: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

eam nenen Ensen anes sasaaasaaaiacacaaaaaaaaaaaasasacasaaaaaacaaaaaaacccaiscasaaaasaaaaaaaaacaaaal sulated as unrestrainedly as the wine. The Prince pressed his lips, hot with the breath of lust, to the rich red mouths that were moistened with the generous juice of the grape; and on his fevered brow and burning cheeks those courtezans of the Opera imprinted their harlot kisses. Presently the musician, obedient to a signal which he gave her, returned .40 the piano: and while the glorious instrument-swee made to desecrate itself by pouring forth ite gieh atreine.in. alikidinous measure, the dancing-gigls united their voices ie ' the obscene air to whiebss: kslouged. The orgie was thus gt:its beight~--and the Prince of Wales was joining ip ghesialsd-eang,—whan the door was suddenly theswa gpen, aud a page an- nounced—* The Heavens! what a geeng confusion instanta- neously followed—ang what a spectacle was this to greet the eyes of a menareh and a father ! The musician sprang eit) a shriek from fhe piano—the two girls startedwuish responsive scregmes from the knees of the Paines—the rest fluttguall round the table, not knowing bow to act and wish-: ing the floor wopld open amp swallow them up:. here a champagne-glass wes. dropped and broken— there a bottle was overtarned with a clattering din —and a fruit-dish, being upset-in the hurry and bewilderment of the scene, scattered its contents upon the door. : King George LIT stood aghast! The consterna- tion of mingled horror and amazement was ex- pressed upon hie naturally stolid countenance— his hands were spread ont fan-like from his wriste —his eye-balls glared. wilily—and his whole atti- tude was so absurd ig ite indignation, that, were he not the British Sovereign, he wonld have been a@- luted with peals of laughter inatead of ranained with looks of dismay. The Prince of Wales was fer 5 daw wnements a0 astounded by this sudden apgasities of ais -apgust father that he remained trapafiged 40 his seat, staring vacantly upon him : but suddenly recover- ing some portion of hia presence of mind, he started up and waved his hand imperiously to the ballet- girls to withdraw. This tacit but yumistakable command recalled them also from their bewildar- ment and confusion: and, as if seized with a panic terror, they rushed towards the door communicat- ing with an inner room,—their gauze drapery fiat- tering airily—tbeir supple and exquisitely formed limbs moving glancingly, and the nymph-like light- ness of their forms eequiring a soaring appeara as they fled—or rather flew—like a bevy of af- frighted fairies from the presence of some uncouth mortal who had intruded upon their sacred retreat. The apartment was thus cleared of the conrtegans of the Opera—and the Prince of Wales found him- self alone with the King: for the page who escorted his Majesty thieher, had -prudently retired the mo- ment he caught a glimpse of the aspect of affairs. Covered with ehame—half tipsy with the generoys THE MYSTERIES. George—I couldn’t have believed it Knew you were wild—but didn’t think you were so bad as this: no—didn’t think it for a moment Wrouldn’t have believed it if any one had told meso. But | can’t stop in this room—no, not in this room. I®€mells of wine and orgies—and drunken dissipation—and all that kind of thing. Come, sir—lead me else- where, that I may speak a few words without having my nose offended~-pose offended,” reiterated his Majesty, applsing hie forefinger and thumb to his Benleased to walk-thisauny dies,” said the Prince @f Wales, endeavouring .with all eis might to steady heath his legs and his wleas: just feeling that he was acareglg able to keep npav-the SZormer and that the latter agere whirling in.cheafie confusion, he mut- tered apihimeectf, as he-theasaqpan the door by which the Kime bad originaly.entegal the room, “It’s no use-lin-es drunk es damaagien !” “ Bh !—agphat? what ?” ted his Majesty, inming sharply and suddegly zound just as he was seaming the threshold: “ what was that you said, ae~-ab t" | _ “]-vengured to observe, sire,” answered the Prince, endeavouring to look as sober as he could,—* that our little revel deserves some extenuation.”’ “ Ah!—ah!.—yes—I caught the ation,” cried the King, looking his son very hard in the face ; “ but I thought that it formed part of some other word. Well—and what excuse have you—eh ?— what excuse———”" “Simply, most revered sizg,” returned the Prince, assuming all the vacant. gravity of aemi-intoxication, ~~ “ gimpply hat those yaung ladies had come to sing ‘God save the Hang.’ ’ abeich we mere indeed practising at the mementuthes yar Majesty broke ‘4D upon us: anc theeuniisal the national anthem— hic—had filled us a9 Sid af loyalty, that we were obliged to drimk aus Majesty’s health in bame “Hem! wetl—-it may be so—it may be so,” said the King, aurveyiag the Prince suspiciously: “and I hope it is far your sake. But when [ think of it, how was it that tao.ef the girls were seated on your jepees, six—seatedl on your knees—eh 2” ‘Oh! may it please your Majesty, that was to show me how to beat time accurately,” replied the Prince of Wales. “ Beat fiddlestick!” exclaimed the King: but not chposing to prolong this portion of the discourse, be nee, | hurried from the apartment where the orgie had taken place and accompanied his scape-grace soa to another rogm in the splendid mansion. Gazing around him as he took the seat which the Prince officiously placed for his accommodation, the King’s eye was speedily offended by certain pictures and statues which ornamented the apartment, and which, without being absplutely indelicate, might certainly have been more decent. _.“ Hey-dey® exclaimed his Majesty: “am I in { ‘ t / l | nasal geomontory and helding the Jip with an ex- | gression of deep diaguat. | —_ —-—ea © —D ——_— - - a - ry Cad el ee Oe - ~ ‘Suice of Epemay which he had imbibed—and not ' Carlton House-—or in a luxurious brothel? °Pou knowing whether to assume an air of contrition er | my word, George, your taste is very vicious— very defiance, the Prince of ‘Wales stood balancing him- | vicious indeed. What means that naked woman there self by holding on tothe back of the chair whence he | inthe great picture between the windows—eh, srt bad risen, and gasing vecantly on the eoungtenance | Come—speak !” | of the King who was looking fully as stupidly at “Tt is Venus rising from the my dear him. | father.” answered the Prince of Wales; ‘and it is “ Dreadful—horrible-—dreadful |” atilength ejacu- | considescd a perfect master-piece.” lated the monarch. “{ couldn't ‘have believed ff, | 4M: ster-pi.ce, indeed !—master fiddlestick!” exe — aD - wee —_ RG, CNG, emen pe pn CORNICE LOO SoCON ©